The Girls from the West
by Stormsinger Dragon
Summary: Two best friends get sent to Middle Earth, and in doing so, transform into their own OC's! LegolasxOC, FaramirxOC. This is my first fanfic, so constructive criticism is appreciated, but please be nice. I love reviews, guys! Indefinite Hiatus
1. Sleepover

It all started during a severe thunderstorm. My good friend Heather –whom I call Luna –and I were having a sleepover at her house, which we had completely to ourselves. And at the moment, we were listening to the song "Shadow of the Moon" by Blackmore's Night. "I love this song." I said and sighed contentedly. "It's so beautiful, and haunting." I said and sang the chorus softly. Luna nodded her assent and turned it down a bit. Then, just to make her laugh, I stretched like a cat, circled around on my sleeping bag on all fours, and flopped down like a puppy. She giggled, got into her bed, scratched my head like she would a cat, and said softly, "Goodnight, Molly-Love."

Since we had just finished watching "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring –Extended Edition", I re-instigated a minor debate we'd been having for the past week; I whispered: "Legolas is _still_ better than Faramir." Luna turned over to face me and replied quietly, but forcefully, "Faramir all the way!" We kept it up until we were whisper-shouting at each other and the argument had (as always) dissolved to: "Legolas" "Faramir" "Legolas" "FARAMIR" "LEGOLAS" Until I couldn't speak from laughing.

Suddenly a huge bolt of lightning lit the cloudy sky like a firework, and it was followed by what must have been the grandfather of all thunderclaps. I gasped in surprise and fright, and Luna patted the mattress next to her. I clambered up onto her bed, and she comforted me with a hug and soothing words. "It's alright, Molly. It's just thunder. I didn't know you didn't like thunder." I pulled away to look at her and answered honestly, "Well, normally I'm not. But that one was so close. I don't like noises that loud." "Aw, it's not going to hurt you, Molly. You're probably still a little creeped out by the scary parts of the movie." I was very grateful to have Luna, she was like the big sister I never had. And besides, I'm hardly what you'd call tough. I can be when I have to be, but not often. After all, I _am_ only 16. I turned off the music and lay down on my sleeping bag again. Letting the rain be my lullaby, I drifted off into a deep sleep.

At exactly midnight, after Luna and I were asleep, something happened that would change the course of our lives forever: a bolt of lightning hit the house. Or, to be more specific, it hit right on Luna's window. Neither of us noticed this, but I had the oddest sensation that I was falling very slowly, or gently floating downwards. Little did we know, the greatest adventure of our lives was about to begin.


	2. Waking Up Different

**So, hey, peoplez! Um, I'm not sure if I put this in my last chapter, but I don't own The Lord of the Rings. If I did, I wouldn't be writing a fanfic, would I? Sorry I took so long to get this up, life got in the way****.**

When I awoke, I was lying at the foot of a huge fir tree on a bed of fir needles, not on my sleeping bag on the floor of Luna's room. I looked around slowly, my fear growing with each passing second. "Luna?" I called softly. "Luna? Are you there?" No answer. I was getting extremely frightened. "Luna?" I called franticly, tears forming in my eyes, "Luna? Answer me! Please!" I was beginning to panic. Where was she? Suddenly, I heard a moan and leaves rustling. I turned slowly, slowly, around to look what was there on the other side of the tree. What I saw was something I would never see in real life (if this _was_ real life).

Luna Moonglave, my friend's imaginary character.

I knew it was her. She had beautiful, waist-length chocolate-brown hair with tints of red in it. Her eyes were a brilliant, clear blue. She wore a bright green long-sleeved tunic with a sort of cape or hood on the back, a dark green travelling cloak with a hood was discarded on the ground, a dark brown leather belt was around her waist, a long, coat-like forest-green, silver-armored piece came out from under her tunic, covering her brown leather pants, her boots went up to her knees and were also armored, and her gloves were dark brown, the wide, fur-lined sleeves above them also armored. I noticed a beautifully carved bow of pale wood beside her, along with a matching quiver and arrows. A blade's hilt stuck out of a sheath on her belt.

She looked at me and said, in a voice that was clearly Heather-Luna's: "Who are you? You sound like my Molly, but she doesn't look like that." "Wh-what?" I was horrified. What did that mean? _Do I look different?_ I thought, worried, and then saw my hair.

My hair was shoulder-length, wild and not its usual color. It was straight, for one thing, and for another, it was dirty-blonde, and like Luna's, was tinged with red. I immediately noticed my familiar lucky necklace. It was a blue heart-shaped crystal pendant on a thin silver chain. I looked at my clothes. I saw my top. It was a simple short brown dress, with paler brown pants underneath with my knee-high boots of green, with silver fur on the top, and dark brown on the feet. I was also wearing a green belt and a trench coat. That was green on the long, wide sleeves, on the belt buckle, some designs on the sides of the coat, and my chest. The rest was brown and silver. Beside me, I saw a staff of willow wood, with a beautiful emerald placed at the end. I looked closer, and it could have also been jade or quartz, but now was not the time to be thinking about geology. I turned and saw a pool of water. I crawled over to it, and confirmed a thought I hadn't even allowed to form in my mind. I had become my own original character, Telsa Kelmarin. I was a Tree Elf, and a mage and healer to boot. Luna was also a Tree Elf, but a ranger by the looks of it. I crawled back over to her, and said slowly, because I was still having trouble believing it myself, "Luna, you have become Luna Moonglave. I have become Telsa Kelmarin. I can control the Element Earth. That includes plants, too." Several emotions flashed across her face. First were confusion, then understanding, then terror, then thoughtful, and finally excited. "I'm Luna! Like, the _real_ Luna! And you! You're Telsa! I've never met you, but I'm sure you're great, and…" she was talking very quickly now, so I drowned her out and looked around. We were definitely in a forest, but where? _And why have we become Tree Elves? _I wondered.

Just then, I heard soft music coming from the north. _Epic! I know which way is north!_ I shushed Luna and said, "Luna, you hear that?" She cocked her head and listened. "Yeah, I do. What do you suppose it is?" "Music?" I said which earned me a quick burst of laughter from Luna. I smiled weakly. She started walking toward the faint music. I followed close at her heels. We walked for about an hour in the forest. Suddenly, we found ourselves in a city. And the people here…had an unusual aura of elegance and grace about them. Then I saw someone's ear. _It was pointed._ "Oh my God. Luna," I whispered, "_Did you see that person's ear?_ We're in an Elvin city!" She stared ahead, dumbstruck. "And not just any Elvin city," she said softly, her voice full of wonder, "I believe we're in R-R-_Rivendell_."

I laughed, more to hide my growing disbelief. "We are _so_ not in Greenfield Park anymore."

**Stormy: R&R, Guys!**

**Telsa: Yeah! We love reviews!**

**Gimli: Who are you talking to?**


	3. Rivendell and Elrond

**Stormy: Would you like to do the disclaimer, Pippin?**

**Pippin: Sure! Stormy does not own the Lord of the Rings. It belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien.**

**Stormy: A sheer genius.**

As we were walking into the citadel, I heard a man's voice call our names. _Strange,_ I thought, _we didn't tell anyone our names…_I looked, and I saw an Elf man, rather tall, with straight brown hair and a stern face beckoning us to a gorgeous hall, And I brought him to Luna's attention. "Gosh, Luna, doesn't he look familiar?" She looked and said, "Yeah… You know he looks a lot like Lord…Elrond…" I followed him closely, with Luna in tow, and we entered the hall.

We followed the man into a private room with very little in it. Just two chairs, and a small desk, with a window, lighting the beige-gray walls and illuminating the dancing dust motes. It smelled a bit stale in the room, and felt like a place neglected for a long time. The man closed the rounded door of the small room, which was beginning to seem like a relatively large, empty storage closet, and motioned for us to sit. We sat. He came over to us and said in a deep, impressive voice that was young, yet old at the same time: "Hello, Telsa Kelmarin; Luna Moonglave. I am Lord Elrond. I foresaw your arrival, and know that you are strangers here." He said this in such a way that I knew that he meant we weren't just unfamiliar with Rivendell. "Lady Galadriel and I believe you will be of great help to conquer the One Ring. It has been brought here by a hobbit, Frodo Baggins, to be exact. But perhaps you ladies knew that?" He looked at us questioningly. I looked at Luna at a bit of a loss. "Yes, actually, Lord Elrond." Luna said confidently, sitting up straight, looking him in the eye. "Do you wish to know how we know, or do you already know?" She asked him cleverly. He responded gravely. "All three of us know _how_ you got here, and I shall tell you our theory of _why_." My face settled into a puzzled frown, and I asked, "Um, my Lord? By 'our' who do you mean?" "I mean Galadriel's and my theory."

"Ah. Thank you. Please, continue." I said, gesturing forward with my hand.

"Very well." He said, and began. "Are you familiar with the tale of how the ring came to be in Master Frodo Baggins' possession?"

"Well, yes," I said, and feeling slightly childish, said, "But I don't remember all of it, and I love hearing it." Luna nodded her agreement. "Very well, said Elrond, and began.

"The world is changing. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. All that once was, is lost, for there are none living who remember it.

"It started with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all the races. Seven were given to the Dwarf Lords. And nine. Nine were given to the race of Men whose desire, above all else, was power."

I closed my eyes and listened, letting the words wash around me in Elrond's soothing, archaic voice. After he was done, we stood. He looked out the door, and said, "You must come now, young Ladies. The Council we are holding about the One Ring is about to begin." We made for the door, but Elrond held out his hand to stop us. "But before we go," he said contemplatively, "Where _are_ you girls from? What land, I mean." Perplexed, we looked at each other. Luna suddenly got a bright look on her face, so I figured she had an idea. I nodded at her subtly, so she answered Elrond, "We are of the Tree Elf Kingdom of Vertefeld. It is on the continent west of here." I saw where she was going, so I added, "Yes. Our superiors caught wind of a Ring of Terrible Power being found here, so we were sent to help protect, defend, and fight, if necessary." Elrond eyed us shrewdly. "I see. And what skills can you bring to help?" Luna stepped forward, "Telsa here is the best healer in our Kingdom." I stepped over next to Luna, "And Luna is a Ranger, and the best warrior you could ever hope to meet." She smiled gratefully and proudly, and I put my arm around her shoulders, and since I was a mite taller than she was, it almost appeared to be that _I_ was the elder, and she the younger. Elrond smiled. "Very well." he gestured toward the door and let us through, "Off we go to the Council meeting."

**Stormy: R&R, people! I love you all!**

**Luna: May I do the disclaimer?**

**Pippin: But I did it at the beginning of the chapter! Weren't you paying attention?**

**Luna: Oh, you did? Never mind, then.**


	4. The Council Meeting & The Fellowship

**Stormy: Hey, everyone! I still don't own The Lord of the Rings. Mr. Tolkien still owns that. Ah, well. Enjoy!**

The first thing I noticed when we entered the Council Room was how simply breathtaking it was. I was playing with the pendant of my necklace a bit out of habit, and I gasped. The gorgeous view of the city, the golds, greens and silvers and browns flowed together in perfect harmony. The chairs were gold and silver, and there was a throne on the end. I noticed a relatively small stone pedestal in the center of the circle that the chairs and throne were arranged in. "Well Luna," I said, turning to look at my companion, "Where do you wanna sit?"

After about five minutes, all the chairs were filled. We sat next to Gandalf the Grey and Luna was directly across from a man with an unshaven face and long, black hair. _That man must be Aragorn... _I thought to myself. Then, I frowned and shook my head slightly. _Took ya _that_ long? Well done, Holmes!_ I silently reprimanded myself. Of course it was Aragorn. _And that Dwarf over there is Gimli, and the hobbit right beside Gandalf is Frodo, And Boromir is over there, and –_my thoughts were interrupted as I gazed upon my very favorite _Lord of the Rings_ character: Legolas.

As I (subtly) stared at my personal opinion of what perfection would look like if it manifested physically, I was barely aware that Boromir was walking around the room, talking about something with great passion. Obviously, it was centered around that stupid little ring Frodo had placed on the stone pedestal in the center of the Council room. Eventually, Aragorn said in that calm, yet commanding voice of his, "You cannot use the Ring. None of us can."

Boromir spun on the dark-haired man. "And what would a _ranger_ know about this?" He sniveled, and said 'ranger' as if it were a term meant to degrade. I frowned at him, but he didn't see me underneath my hood. But my annoyance with the man from Minas Tirith was short-lived, because someone else seemed to be even more outraged with Boromir than I was. Legolas jumped up, and said, "That is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and you owe him your allegiance." I silently cheered for both Aragorn and Legolas. Boromir irritated me. They had a small dispute, and eventually, both parties sat back down in their respective chairs. Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I quietly leaned over and whispered to Luna, "Luna, I can feel a big argument coming. Are you gonna get involved? I would rather you didn't, but whatever." She smiled wisely, and said, "Not to worry, Telsa, Love. I won't do anything more than is necessary." That worried me a bit; knowing Luna, but I said no more on the subject.

Luna and I listened attentively, and Boromir ranted, saying how it was the 'blood of his people that kept our lands safe', and other such nonsense. Eventually, the meeting devolved into another fight. As I had predicted. This proved to be an extremely annoying ordeal for Luna and myself, but it was Luna that stood up and shouted in a voice that commanded respect and obedience, such as I had never heard her use before, "People! People! Calm the *bleep* down!" The din in the Council Room died immediately, all eyes in shock upon this Elven girl. "Thank you." She said, more calmly, but her tone was matter-of-fact, and no-nonsense. "Now, the Ring is definitely an object we can't have around, because there is always the chance that Sauron will eventually find it and get his metaphorical hands on it. Therefore, the Ring must be destroyed. Simple as that." She looked around the mob for any objections, found none, nodded, satisfied, and sat back down. Elrond stood again, nodded at Luna, and said, "She is right. The Ring must be destroyed."

"So what are we waiting for!" Interrupted Gimli. He ran toward the pedestal where the Ring rested, axe ready, and _swoosh! _Swung the weapon down on the gold band. But instead of even scratching it, the Ring was fully intact, and shards of Gimli's axe blade were scattered all over. Weird.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed by any craft we here possess. It must be taken to the land of Mordor, to the Cracks of Mt. Doom, and cast into the Fire from whence it came." Came Elrond's ringing voice. "One of you must do this." Of course, the fight started again, but then, the little Hobbit I'd barely noticed before stood, and said meekly, "I will take it." No one heard over the arguing. I had, however, and smiled encouragingly at Frodo, and nudged him forward to give him confidence. "I will take it!" He cried again. The fighting stopped, and he continued, now that he had everyone's attention. "I will take the Ring to Mordor." He hesitated, "Though, I do not know the way."

_Poor little guy._

Gandalf walked over to the small person, and said, "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear." Aragorn stood, "If by my life or my death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword."

"And my bow." Said Legolas, kneeling.

"And my axe." Said Gimli gruffly.

"And will you not need a healer?" I put in hopefully, "I am quite skilled in magic, as well. You have my staff."

"If my Telsa's going, I am too. I would never part from my soul-bonded sister." Piped up Luna. I smiled, feeling grateful. "Hey!" There was a sudden voice. A small blond Hobbit tumbled out of the bushes outside from his hidden vantage point, and my blood ran cold. _Oh, no. Please Luna. Not here, not now –_but I was too late.

"_SAM!_" Came the joyful cry. I smacked my forehead, sensing the impending humiliation.

"Oof!" I turned and saw Luna happily cuddling a pinned Sam Gamgee. "Luna! _Please_ get off Sam. You'll break him." I chided, adopting my 'Mother' tone. "Fine."

"Thank you."

And after Sam, came Merry and Pippin.

"After all, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission… quest… thing…" Said Pippin, trying to save face. "Well, that rules you out, Pip." We laughed. Then, the Fellowship was born.

**So, there's Chapter Four! And say, there's this really cool button below there, it says Review Chapter. Click it! Please click it! Pretty please with whipped cream and a cherry on top? I love you all! ^w^**


	5. And the Journey Begins

**Stormy: Okay, thanks for the reviews! This is Chapter 5; approved by the real Luna (I run each chapter by her, so I know if she likes it, and if I captured Luna correctly. She's like my editor) So, Telsa, your turn for the disclaimer!**

**Telsa: You got it! =3**

**Stormy does not own **_**The Lord of the Rings**_** or any of its characters. All she owns is me. Luna is property of her good friend Heather/Luna. **

**Stormy: Thanks!**

So we were now part of the Fellowship of the Ring, as was Luna. I could barely contain my excitement, but had to in order to not make a fool of myself, and to make sure Luna didn't glomp any more hobbits. Now _that_ was hard. She wanted SOOOOO bad to glomp Merry and Pippin that she could barely contain herself. It was a tiring experience, but I managed.

Later that day, we were standing at the Gates of Rivendell, about to commence our journey to Mordor. Lord Elrond met us there and told us how none of us were bound by oath to go any further than we would, and wished us the best of luck. Luna and I nodded gratefully at his words, accepting the luck he wished us. I thought about the road ahead. I wondered about the plot of the story, and how it might change because of our being in it.

Then, Gandalf said, "We await the Ring bearer." Frodo timidly walked through the Gates, and whispered, "Mordor, Gandalf; is it left or right?" _How cute!_ I thought with a smile. Gandalf chuckled and whispered "Left" and Frodo followed the direction. And with that, we were off…

It was a rather boring experience, walking all day; Boromir suggested Luna and I ride Bill, and they carry the supplies. I was not fond of this idea, but Luna took this rather badly. She brandished her sword, and pointed it at Boromir, whispering, "What was that, Sexist Pig?" But I intervened.

"Luna! Put. The sword. Away."

"B-but… Can't I just trim his hair a little?" She whined.

"No, Luna. We don't want him to die." I chided. "Yet" I added under my breath so that only she could hear. "Fine…" Luna pouted.

Bill seemed okay with this idea, and so we kept walking. I got very bored, very quickly, and I'm sure Luna did too. After about an hour of walking in silence (after the thing with Boromir and Bill) Luna started humming "Row your Boat". Seeing as I had absolutely NOTHING better to do with my time, I hummed along. Then we started singing:

_Row, row, row your boat,_

_Gently down the stream~!_

_Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily_

_Life is but a dream~_

Then Pippin started singing with us. We started singing it as a round.

_Row, row, row your boat,_

_(Row, row, row your boat,)_

_Gently down the stream~!_

_(Gently down the stream~)_

_Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily_

_(Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily)_

_Life is but a dream~!_

Luna and I went for a big finish with me doing a harmony on the word 'dream',

_(Life! Is! But! A! DREAM~!)_

The others looked at us a bit funny, but then Frodo, Sam and Merry shrugged and started the song again. All six of us were singing away like children, or maybe Broadway stars, and then, with a hearty chuckle, Gandalf began singing. After a while of this, we switched songs to:

_Hey, ho,_

_To the bottle I go!_

_To heal my heart and drown my woe._

_The rain may fall, the wind may blow,_

_But there still be~_

_Many miles to go!_

_Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain,_

_And the stream that falls from hill to plain._

_Better than rain or rippling brook,_

_Is a mug o' beer inside this Took!_

In order not to sound like we knew too much about this world (and I didn't know all the words), we asked Merry and Pippin if they knew any songs from the Shire we could sing. They taught us this one, and it was lots of fun to sing as we finished our last league to the place where we would rest. There were ruins there, and a nice grassy hill for us to sit.

While we rested, Merry and Pippin practiced swordsmanship with Boromir while the other hobbits watched them with Aragorn. Sam was eating, which was normal, and he was completely unaware of any danger. Unbeknownst to him, Luna was sneaking up behind him with a rather worrying smile on her face.

"Hey, Sam," She said to the little hobbit, resting her elbow on his head, "How's it going?" With some slight difficulty, Sam looked up at the Elf. "Alright… How are you, Milady Luna?" He responded nervously. "Oh, I'm fine," Luna took her arm off Sam's head, and sat down next to him, a flirtatious gleam in her eye, "But I'd be better if" "Luna!" I cut her off, not particularly wanting to know how she would end that sentence.

"Yes, Telsa?" She grumbled. "Leave poor Sam _alone_. I mean really, show some self-discipline, girl!" I scolded. Then I smiled, "C'mon. Sit over here with your surrogate little sister." I patted the grass beside me, and she came over and sat.

Suddenly, she started to stare at me intently. I noticed this, and, as I always did, I stared right back. She leaned a little closer, and I immediately knew what she was doing. I leaned a bit closer to her. She got closer, I got closer. Just then, I heard the light footsteps of Legolas coming toward us. I didn't break my gaze with Luna, and acknowledged him with a wave of my hand. "What are you girls doing?" he asked, and his tone suggested he thought we had lost our minds.

"Reflex training." I answered him, still inching closer to Luna, still not breaking my stare. "Reflex…training?" He echoed, "Yes. Reflex training." Luna responded, as if this were the most commonplace practice in the world. Just then, Luna stuck out her tongue really fast in an attempt to lick my nose. I darted out of her way just in time, crying, "Ha! Missed me again, Luna-Love! You're gonna have to be quicker than that if you want to get me!" "Aarrgh! Damn it, Tell! I will get you one day! Mark my words!" Luna cried back, but she wasn't really angry, I knew. I hugged her and then turned to Legolas and now Aragorn who were watching us. "You see?" I said, "Reflex training."

_Later…_

We were all just sitting around, doing our respective things, when someone asked, "What's that?" indicating a dark _something_ coming our way in the sky. Gimli was first to reply, "Nothing! It's just a wisp of cloud!"

"It's moving fast, and against the wind…" Aragorn stated warily.

"It looks like a huge flock of crows." I said.

"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas shouted, "Quickly, hide!" Gandalf ordered. We all hid behind or underneath ruins. I manipulated the grass and weeds to cover myself and Luna as we waited for the crows to pass over us.

"Spies of Saruman…" Gandalf clarified, answering the unasked question in everyone's minds. "The passage south is being watched. We will have to take the pass of Carhadras." We all looked over to the looming mountain we had to pass over. It was blanketed in snow, and seemed hostile, like it didn't want us to be there. I was sure it didn't…

**Stormy: So there's Chapter 5 of this story. Review, and see if everyone makes it across Carhadras…**

**Legolas: And hopefully, you girls will be a bit more serious in future. **

**Telsa & Luna: Oh, now Lassie, you know we can't do that.**

**Legolas: **_**What**_** did you just call me?**


	6. Up the Mountain We Go!

**Stormy: So! This is chapter 6! I hope you guys like this, and thank you all my readers (and the real Luna) for giving me the drive and inspiration to keep going! I really appreciate the reviews. And now, it's… -drumroll- LASSIE'S TURN TO DO THE DISCLAIMER! ^w^**

**Legolas: I told you, please stop calling me Lassie! Very well, .dragon does not own **_**The Lord of the Rings**_**, nor does she own Luna Moonglave. All that belongs to her is Telsa Kelmarin. **

**Stormy: Thank you, Legolas. (You can't shorten 'Legolas'! The best you can **_**do**_** is 'Lassie'!) Enjoy the chapter!**

So there we were, about to do some mountaineering on a mountain that clearly wouldn't want us taking its pass. I made my concern clear to Gandalf as we were nearing the mountain, "Gandalf, are you sure this is the only way to get to Mordor? Aren't there any other routes besides the Gap of Rohan and the Pass of Caradhras? The mountain's stone has a very unfriendly feel to it. I don't like it. I fear for all our safety, especially Frodo's, not just my own." I clutched my staff to my chest nervously. Gandalf kept walking, and didn't even look at me as he answered, "Yes, Milady Telsa. The pass is the only way we can get around, and if all goes well, we should have no troubles crossing, despite your Gift for Earth warning you otherwise. Stone can be difficult to read and feel at the best of times; just ask Gimli. We take the Pass of Caradhras." He said this last sentence with certain finality, so I knew the conversation was over. "Very well, Master Gandalf, you know better than I." I answered mildly, and fell back to talk to Luna, who was walking directly behind Legolas.

I bit my lower lip and smiled, watching him walk with such grace and determination.

"Are you starin' at Lego's ass?" Luna asked me mischievously, using a pun on Legolas' name. I felt my cheeks burn and looked at her with a horrified and embarrassed expression painting my face.

"Luna!" My already soprano voice escalated about two octaves, coming out as a squeak, "Not so loud! He might hear you! And I was _not_!"

"Not from my perspective. That's where your eyes lingered the longest." My friend said cheerfully, obviously loving my unwillingness to admit my crush on Legolas.

"Be thankful Faramir's not here." I growled softly to my Ranger friend, "Then _you_ will be the one being teased!" I quietly cackled insanely. I hadn't noticed, but Legolas had flinched and turned around to look at us when I squeaked. I snuck a peek at him, and noticed he was blushing, but only caught a glimpse of it because he quickly turned away when he saw I was looking at him. I was blushing too, and it was all I could do not to just bury myself in vegetation or literally have the ground open up and swallow me. We continued onto the mountain.

Luna noticed the elf's reaction to my squeak as well, and she got that mischievous gleam in her eye. The one that should frighten you by now, and if it doesn't, go back and reread this story and pay better attention this time! She sidled up to me, and whispered, "Say, Tell, did you notice how Lassie reacted when we had that conversation?"

"Only too clearly…" I mumbled, humiliated.

"He _totally_ likes you, too, you know." She said knowingly, well out of said person's hearing range.

"How would you know?" I demanded sceptically. "All the guys _you've_ ever dated were really open about it and were just as crazy in a lovably adorable way as you!"

"True, but it's not like I haven't been exposed to the media," She giggled, "I'm not clueless, Telsa-Love. Like you, he's just shy." I was still doubtful, seeing as how I had little self-esteem when it came to matters such as this.

"Could be he's just embarrassed…" I mumbled pessimistically. Luna shrugged, and we finally reached the foot of the mountain. I gulped nervously and gripped Luna's hand for encouragement. She squeezed it reassuringly.

_Later…_

We were steadily climbing, the snowy cold biting into our faces and anywhere not covered with clothing. It was freezing on that mountain, but we persevered. "Just like the wintertime back home, eh, Tell?" Luna called cheerfully.

"Yeah, but just wait!" I called back. "Soon, it'll be just like a little snowstorm back home if the weather holds!"

Frodo was having some slight trouble with the snow, finding it quite difficult to walk. He stumbled and fell, rolling in the snow, falling onto Strider. He (Frodo) felt around at his neck, but something was missing. I watched Boromir walk over to the spot the little hobbit had fallen, pick up the chain that held the Ring, and nearly get seduced by it. It was all rather boring and futile to watch (I mean, what would there have been to be gained whether or not I watched the little seduction/snap-out-of-it scene?), so I went over and asked Legolas in my very best 'Oh-so-casual' voice, "So, Legolas, what's your home like? I've never seen another Wood Elf Haven before. What's Mirkwood like?"

"Well," he started, pondering how he was going to answer, "Mirkwood can be a very dangerous place if you don't know where you're going, how to get there, and what to do if you encounter an evil beast."

"Evil beast?" I asked. "Like what?"

"Oh, you know…" he said, shrugging, "Spiders, Wargs, the occasional _invading troop of dwarves_" He said loudly so Gimli could hear.

"Ha," the dwarf laughed dryly, with no real humour, "My father and the other dwarves were just making our way through Mirkwood to regain treasure inside the Lonely Mountain. The least you and your people could have done is given them some food and water."

"Boys, play nice." I said, once again adopting my 'mother' tone of voice. In the corner of my eye, I saw Aragorn and Gandalf whispering. I tried to listen in, because they kept peering back at me and Luna.

"What do you mean, Aragorn?"

"I mean, if they were to encounter an orc or goblin, Lady Telsa especially, they would barely last two minutes!" Aragorn whisper-shouted. I strode up to the ranger, leaving Legolas and Gimli to their bickering.

"The only reason you think I wouldn't last two minutes in a battle is because you have never seen me truly angry, Aragorn." I said icily. He looked at me, shocked to see me standing so close. I smiled coldly, and sauntered up on top of the snow, my leather boots barely sinking at all.

The wind howled, and snow pummelled us as we reached the top of the mountain. Luna and I hugged our bodies for warmth, and Aragorn and Boromir were carrying the hobbits to keep them close and warm. Legolas was leading the Fellowship, acting as lookout. Gandalf tried to plough a path through the snow for those of us who sank (basically, everyone except Luna, Lassie and myself). The snow's ferocity grew worse, and I heard something on the wind. It sounded like –no, impossible –it couldn't possibly be… a voice?

Oh, but it was. "There is a fell voice on the air," Legolas informed us.

"_It's Saruman!_" Gandalf cried out, just in time to pull us out of the way of falling rocks.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Boromir yelled over the gale, "Gandalf, we must turn back!"

"No!" The old wizard yelled back.

They argued for a while as to which direction they should take. I personally didn't give a crap, as long as we got out of this awful, bitter _cold_. Eventually, Frodo decided that we would take the long, dark mines of Moria.

_Well, look on the bright side, Telsa,_ I thought to myself, _At least the Mines are closer, and between you and Luna, I'm sure we'll all be okay by the end of it._

**Well, guys, chapter 6. I'm truly sorry it took me this long to update, but I've had stuff going on in my life, like school and choosing my courses for grade 10. Oh, and guess what! Today (February 16, 2011) is my good friend/editor/inspiration/character Luna's 16****th**** Birthday! (Now she's **_**two**_** years older than me… -grumble-) X3 R&R, people, and I wish you a happy B-Day, Luna, if you're reading this! I know I just saw you a few hours ago, and will see you again tomorrow, but still. X3**


	7. Entering Moria

**Stormy: Well, here we are! Lucky number seven, and this one's gonna be very… well, **_**interesting**_**. So, enjoy! I suppose it goes without saying now that I don`t own **_**The Lord of the Rings**_**, right? Well, anyway, I don't. Ah, well. ****C'est la vie!**

We had now reached the Walls of Moria. It was pretty bleak there, and ominous, but Gimli looked quite happy; like he belonged there. All I knew was I sure as hell didn`t.

"It is said that Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gimli informed those of us who were uneducated in the ways and history of the Dwarvish people. "Yes," Gandalf concurred, "They are so well hidden that their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten."

"Why doesn't _that_ surprise me?" Legolas asked cynically.

"Boys," I chided them as if they were children, "If you can't play nice, you can't play together." I wasn't looking at them, but I'm sure they glowered at me. I giggled inwardly, and looked around at the sheer cliff walls. Then, I looked around at the dark, somewhat ominous lake. It had two dead-looking trees on stilt-like roots perched in the murky, icy water. I felt no life here, not even from the mountain stone, as if something had drained all the life-force from everything all at once. It was rather creepy. There was a weird life-force coming from the water, though, but I couldn't place what it was. I couldn't tell if it was hostile, neutral, friendly, or just really weird water. This alarmed me, as I remembered the movies and books, so I inched a bit closer to Luna like a child to their parent. Gandalf had found the doors, and was telling the rest of the Fellowship what the markings on the door said, and I wanted to see who would figure out the riddle first, so I didn't say anything. The old wizard had had enough with trying to open the doors, and was now sitting on a rock. I noticed that a good block of twenty or so minutes had gone by, and decided to go talk to Gandalf and Luna.

"No, I don't think it would be _that_…" Gandalf was saying. I leaned over and said, "Mind if I interject?" Luna looked up at me, and she seemed rather frustrated.

"What do you think the password might be?" She asked me in a defeated voice.

"Well, I'm not sure it would even be in Elfish, would it? I mean, if the Elves and Dwarves aren't very friendly toward one another, why would the Dwarfish password be in Elfish?" I happened to think I was being rather philosophical about that.

"But the instructions are in Elfish." Gandalf pointed out. "Why would the password be in the tongue of Men?"

Before I could answer, I felt a change (for the worse) with the creepy Watcher-Water, like it was getting hungry. Or Angry. Or both. I noticed Pippin tossing stones into the water, which probably was the cause of the water's anger. Aragorn took his arm and whispered something to him, and Pip left the creepy lake alone. I poked Luna's arm, not taking my eyes away from the lake.

"Luna?" I whispered nervously.

"Yeah? What's wrong, Tell-Love?"

"Do you feel anything –_weird –_coming from the water?"

"Tell, I'm a _Ranger_, not a mage; I can't 'feel' stuff like that like you can." She sounded a little impatient, but only the slightest bit.

I was going to pursue the subject when Merry and Frodo came up to the door and stared at it. "It's a riddle!" Frodo exclaimed.

"Speak friend, and enter." Merry reread thoughtfully.

"What's the Elfish word for 'friend'?" Frodo asked, still not looking at us.

Luna and I exchanged a gleeful look, and before Gandalf could give the answer, we exclaimed it joyfully: "_MELLON_!" We chimed in unison (though pronouncing it more like 'melon', like the fruit). Then, like a miracle, the doors slowly opened.

_Some intense $#*+ right there, as my good friend Rachel would say._

We all stepped into the Mines, the Hobbits lingering near the door. Just then, Luna startled.

"Telsa," she whispered, sounding terrified, "I just remembered something… I know why you were scared about the water…"

"GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR!" We shouted at the hobbits, trying to prevent a terrible demise. They did, but still were within running distance, should something horrible happen _in_side. Gimli had completely ignored us, and was going on about how his cousin Balin's home was ridiculously called a mine (a _mine!_).

"This is no mine," Boromir whispered, "It's a tomb."

We all looked down at the floor, and found dozens of Dwarf-sized skeletons. I started hyperventilating, which is what I do when I'm scared, and Luna took me and hugged me in a way that was fearful, but trying to be strong and brave and comforting. Legolas took the arrow out of the nearest corpse and examined it briefly, and said, "Goblins…" I whimpered almost inaudibly.

"We should never have come here," Boromir stated, sounding a tad angry, "Now get out of here. _Get out!_" But then, as the Hobbits backed up toward the door, I saw a tentacle rise from the water and grab Frodo's ankle. He cried out, and Sam, Merry and Pippin hacked at it and tried to pull their friend away. When that tentacle retreated, five more jumped out of the murky depths and fought for their prize, namely, Frodo.

"Strider!" Sam cried, and Aragorn Rushed to the water, slicing tentacles as he went, trying to get the Halfling back. He cried out for help, and Boromir came to his rescue, and Luna and Legolas shot a few arrows at the offending creature. It gave out strange roars of pain, and as the men retreated into the mines, as Gandalf directed, Legolas shot the Kraken-thing in the eye. It made a weird noise as it cringed backward, and he ran inside, too. I pulled Luna inside, and, as the creature tried to climb out of the water to get us, I pulled down chunks of rock from the walls with my Earth-Elemental Magic. I'm not sure if I did that to contribute to the fight, to keep the others safe, or just to keep it away in a state of panic. Either way, I had blocked the entrance to Moria.

"Nice, Telsa. Real nice." Luna said, knowing I had done that.

"I'm sorry! I panicked!" was all I could say. I felt eyes being rolled, and groans of exasperation being groaned.

"We now have but one choice," Gandalf sighed, "We must face the long dark of Moria."

"Be on your guard," he added, "there are older, and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world."

**Nice going, Tell. Oh, well, they'll be okay. –Waves dismissively-**

**But seriously, guys, I know this took me a long time to get up, and I'm sorry if it's short, but PLEASE! I need reviews! I need feedback! I know people read this, so please! Even a 'Good job' or 'Ha-ha great! Keep it coming' or even criticism (as long as it's constructive)! I am a girl who needs to hear she's doing well from other people! So just click that pretty little **_**Review this Chapter**_** button at the bottom↓, and ease my pain!**

**Telsa: Gosh, you are so desperate, Stormy! Get a life, seriously!**

**Stormy: I have no life. Deal with it, Tell. **

**Telsa: -Rolls eyes- Review, please. I have to LIVE with this self-pitying-machine.**


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